Letter from the Rectorate Adapting the course offers to the pandemic situation
In-person courses at RUB are to be generally maintained, but have to be reduced as of 13 December. This is in response to the recent pandemic developments.
Dear members of Ruhr-Universität Bochum,
Most people at the universities in NRW have been vaccinated and are thus much better protected against severe cases of Covid-19. This is a fundamentally better starting point than in the past waves.
Students and employees at NRW universities have clearly demonstrated: if we want to, we can get Corona under control through awareness, discipline, and vaccination. This is why there are currently no legal restrictions on in-person courses at universities. We all have reason to be proud of this collective achievement!
But in a pandemic, there are no islands. The fourth wave is rolling through the country, including our immediate neighbourhoods in Bochum: rising incidences, breakthrough infections, the risks posed by and for the unvaccinated, the threat of overburdening the health system and, last but not least, the still unclear effects of the new virus variant Omicron. Hence, we must restrict our campus life and unnecessary contacts still further – despite a high vaccination rate and exemplary discipline on the RUB campus.
Our goal: all students should be offered rewarding in-person courses as long as possible
In order to ensure that students can continue to benefit from the social contacts on campus that are so important for them, the RUB Rectorate, in close consultation with the faculties, will again consider which in-person courses are particularly important and valuable, and which ones could just as well be offered online. The aim is to ensure that students in all degree programmes are offered in-person courses as long as possible.
Prioritising courses with a lot of practical work
The period until 13 December 2021 will be used for coordination among the faculties and with the students. After 13 December, the number of in-person courses will be reduced, initially until Christmas. At the moment, we assume that courses with a lot of practical work, such as lab courses and sports events, will continue to take place on campus. With regard to all other courses currently offered in-person, a decision will be made as to which are most beneficial for students and should therefore be continued. The faculties and departments will organise the necessary changes and inform the students about them.
Your actions count: please avoid unnecessary contacts off campus as well!
We would like to appeal to each and every one of you: please avoid all unnecessary contacts on campus as well as also in your everyday life off campus. Have confidence in vaccinations and vaccination boosters. Please observe the distancing and hygiene rules. We can end this pandemic if we all want to.
Best wishes and stay healthy,
Martin Paul (Rector) and Kornelia Freitag (Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs)